As a mom, a student, a coach, a teammate and an educator, I believe strongly in reaching the whole-child.
I believe in approaching teaching and learning experiences holistically and through the lens of inquiry, and I believe that, ultimately, my job is to cultivate curiosity. When learners are motivated to find out more, curiosity and genuine interest can grow into passion, and passion ignites all aspects of the self. I believe that is my responsibility to provide opportunities for students to ignite and engage their whole self. It is through this lens that I have been interested in holistic education and it is the reason that I am passionate about the Primary Years Programme (PYP.
The PYP's philosophy and approach to offering a programme that is student-centred, inquiry-based and transdisciplinary truly offers the perfect vehicle to create a classroom environment that supports holistic education. As a PYP teacher I have the support, the resources and the time I need to consider my students beyond their academic growth. Their questions and personal interests often drive our inquiry and investigations. Our curriculum supports learning both inside and outside of the classroom and there is value and emphasis placed on personal growth, relationship building and unique learning experiences. I have flexibility, within the curriculum, to tailor our programme to the class, to involve our community in authentic ways, and to explore global issues when they arise, in order to offer a learning environment that is relevant, significant, challenging, interesting and fun! The PYP allows plenty of opportunities to connect what we learn inside the classroom to the community outside our school and to the world at large in an attempt to help students recognize our common humanity, our shared responsibility for the planet, and the need for us to help create a better and more peaceful world. I love this image of the parts of the learner -highlighting that, although an important part, there is so much more to a learner than the curious mind. We need to support the learner's head, heart and hands (and many other elements in between) in order to reach the whole-child. I believe the PYP allows us, as educators, to do that.
I believe in approaching teaching and learning experiences holistically and through the lens of inquiry, and I believe that, ultimately, my job is to cultivate curiosity. When learners are motivated to find out more, curiosity and genuine interest can grow into passion, and passion ignites all aspects of the self. I believe that is my responsibility to provide opportunities for students to ignite and engage their whole self. It is through this lens that I have been interested in holistic education and it is the reason that I am passionate about the Primary Years Programme (PYP.
The PYP's philosophy and approach to offering a programme that is student-centred, inquiry-based and transdisciplinary truly offers the perfect vehicle to create a classroom environment that supports holistic education. As a PYP teacher I have the support, the resources and the time I need to consider my students beyond their academic growth. Their questions and personal interests often drive our inquiry and investigations. Our curriculum supports learning both inside and outside of the classroom and there is value and emphasis placed on personal growth, relationship building and unique learning experiences. I have flexibility, within the curriculum, to tailor our programme to the class, to involve our community in authentic ways, and to explore global issues when they arise, in order to offer a learning environment that is relevant, significant, challenging, interesting and fun! The PYP allows plenty of opportunities to connect what we learn inside the classroom to the community outside our school and to the world at large in an attempt to help students recognize our common humanity, our shared responsibility for the planet, and the need for us to help create a better and more peaceful world. I love this image of the parts of the learner -highlighting that, although an important part, there is so much more to a learner than the curious mind. We need to support the learner's head, heart and hands (and many other elements in between) in order to reach the whole-child. I believe the PYP allows us, as educators, to do that.
For more on my thoughts about being a PYP educator, check out 'Cultivating Curiosity: Inquiry in an International Baccalaureate Classroom' by Rebecca Ryder, in Teaching From The Thinking Heart by Jack Miller.